Children Play Theatre

~ Below the beautiful Surface of the Sea ~

Summary
This is one of three navigator stories within the serial “Children play Theatre”. It plays in the Indian Ocean around 1500 A.D. The main character is the navigator Ibn Majid, a historically authentic character, who navigated ships from Africa to India and even to China. The Portuguese owe to pilots like him the discovery of the sea route around Africa to India. At that time the Arabs’ knowledge of navigation was superior to the Europeans’. In this play Ibn Majid shows young navigators that on journeys on the sea situations can occur, which are not foreseen even with the best navigation guides. The best a sailor can do is to being always prepared.

Excerpts:

Below the beatiful Surface of the Sea

There is a knock at the door. One of the servants appears in front of Ibn Majid. He bows to him and says.

Servant: Ibn Majid, there are three young navigators standing outside the door. They ask if they may see you.

Ibn Majid: I would be pleased to welcome them. Lead them to me!

The servant leaves the stage and the three navigators appear. They are wearing turbans. They bow to Ibn Majid and say.

All Navigators: Sallam aleikum, Ibn Majid.

Ibn Majid: Sallam aleikum. I am very pleased that you have come to visit me. I know you. You are Hassan, you’re Mustafa and you are Ali (points at each of them). You are hard working, very good navigators.

Hassan: The praise from your mouth means a lot to us. We thank you, Muallim.

Ibn Majid: (claps his hands, and his servant appears) Bring coffee for the guests! (Now addressing the guests) Sit down and tell me what leads you to me.

The servant brings a pot and cups and pours coffee for everybody.

Mustafa: We bring you some notes from our most recent journeys. Everything is explained in here.

All pass their notes to Ibn Majid.

Ibn Majid: I thank you. I will check everything and record it.

Ali: When the work is completed, the journeys on the Indian Sea will be even safer than they are already.

Ibn Majid: Unfortunately, this is not necessarily conclusive.

All Navigators: Why not?

Ibn Majid: The years and the experiences of my journeys showed time and again that there are dangers which no sailing handbook in the world can give the right instructions to help to overcome.

Ali: What kind of dangers are that, Muallim?

Ibn Majid: They are dangers, which lurk deep under the beautiful surface of the sea. It is a place where no sunbeam is able to get to.

....

Characters, scene by scene

	Major role	Medium role	Small role
Prologue			Child 1 Child 2
Scene 1 The Navigator		Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Narrator 3 Narrator 4 Narrator 5 Ibn Majid	Servant Navigator Ali Navigator Mustafa Navigator Hassan
Scene 2 The Krakens	Ibn Majid	Captain	Navigator Ali Navigator Mustafa Navigator Hassan Sailor 1 Sailor 2 Sailor 3
Scene 3 The Fire	Ibn Majid		Captain Navigator Mustafa Sailor 1 Sailor 2 Sailor 3 Navigator Ali Navigator Hassan
Scene 4 The Wave	Ibn Majid	Captain Sailor 1 Sailor 2 Sailor 3	Navigator Mustafa Navigator Hassan Navigator Ali
Epilogue			Child 1 Child 2

Proposals for sceneries:

The big krakens fight (central part, scene 2)

....

The dhow (right side)

Photos of a production:

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